Making the Kitchens Shine

In the Historic Kitchens we have over 1000 pieces of copper in a collection which forms our batterie de cuisine, the copper pieces range from large stove-top stock pots right down to patisserie and ice cream moulds. So when it comes around to cleaning them as part of the winter clean, we are incredibly grateful to our dedicated team of volunteers. By the time we are finished it will have taken 15 volunteers four days to dust, polish and wax their way through the collection!

Some of the pieces were cleaned in the middle of last year as part of Conservation in Action, but the majority of the larger pieces wait until this time of year before being cleaned.

Volunteers hard at work

You can see the pieces on the shelves at the back are nice and shiny having already been cleaned, whilst the volunteers make their way through the piles on the table.

Shiny copper!

Michelle and Jacky moving a large stove-top pot, ready to be cleaned.

Rows of copper being put back on the shelves once they have been cleaned - now all we need is a bit of sunshine for them to sparkle in!

Come and visit the Historic Kitchens when we reopen on March 15th to see our clean copper for yourselves, you can also discover more about the lives of the servants who worked here through our new exhibition in the Servant's Corridor.

Sarah

Conservation Assistant

Why I volunteer...

Hello, I’m Vicky and I started volunteering last month at Petworth House helping Zoe the Marketing & Media Co-ordinator.  I’m really enjoying my time here meeting lots of friendly people and learning a range of new skills. The team have looked after me and so far I’ve had an induction and also been on volunteers training where I was given an overview of the house, learning all about its history and splendour. I can’t recommend volunteering enough, if you have the time it’s a great way to get involved, improve your CV or just give something back to a charity.  It’s a lovely feeling that I’m helping our heritage.  

Not only do I feel I’m helping a charity, I’ve been involved in loads of fun things from the team meeting, creating posters, writing a blog and helping find free advertising. I really look forward to that one day a week I’m part of the team here at Petworth.  Every time I leave the office I’m always trying to think of new ideas to entice more visitors.

You can be involved in inspiring visitors too, by helping them to discover more about Petworth House in an interesting and enjoyable way.  Whether you get in to a costume from Petworth’s past and bring a character back to life or you assist in the new second hand book shop there is always something exciting to be involved with as a volunteer.

Volunteer interpreters having fun in the Historic Kitchens.

There are many opportunities to match your personality and  fill your day.  Whether you lead visitors on a journey of discovery and adventure through the landscape as a pathfinder or help run workshops and family events as a volunteer learning assistant.  You could even learn about Petworth’s history as one of our tour guides or help with the fundraising for restoration projects.  Any idea big or small I feel is always valued here at Petworth, I’m finding it a fun and exciting learning experience and you too can also be part of something rewarding.  For more information email susan.rhodes@nationaltrust.org.uk.

Richard and Barbara James have been volunteering at Petworth for nearly five years.

Volunteer with us

Have you ever thought about volunteering? Whether it's to gain experience in a particular field, learn something new, make new friends or even all of these put together; one thing all our volunteers agree on is that you'll never look back. And with our main season just around the corner we’ve currently got lots of opportunities for you to get involved…

Costumed Interpreters
Help us bring the past to life. Every weekend from 16th March – 6th November we’ll be holding ‘Stirring up the past’ and with your tailor made costume you’ll explain various aspects of ‘life below stairs’ from laying the Dining Room table to the proper way to take tea in the Servants’ Quarters.

Time for tea? Two volunteers in the Historic Kitchens

Visitor Experience Volunteers
You’ll provide a warm welcome for all visitors, answering any immediate questions, and helping them to orientate themselves while generally offering the information they need to ensure they have an enjoyable visit.


Learning Volunteers
Working as part of a small team, Volunteer Learning Assistants help to bring Petworth House and its collection to life for our young people and ensure that their visit is an engaging and memorable experience. Using a variety of teaching methods, Volunteer Learning Assistants help to make each visit part of a shared learning experience and encourage group discussion and debate.

We love a good party - there's lots of social events throughout the year

Have a look at do-it.org for more information or email Sue Rhodes, Volunteer Development Manager at susan.rhodes@nationaltrust.org.uk to find out more.

Digging up the past…

Hello everybody!  There’s exciting things afoot (and under foot) at Petworth this year.  My name's Tom and I’m the National Trust’s archaeologist for West Sussex and the South Downs.  This year I feel very lucky that alongside my other work I will be taking a closer look at Petworth Park, unearthing the secrets and stories that lie preserved in the landscape and beneath the ground – and I’d like you to help me do it! I’m hoping there will be lots of opportunities for anyone who is interested to get involved.  But first, a bit more about Petworth, and why we are doing this in the first place… 

Petworth Park is very different from the original park which was created at least 750 years ago. Today the park is made up of gentle rolling slopes, tranquil shady glades of trees and grand vistas.  It looks natural but in fact everything we see is the result of careful crafting and moulding of the landscape over hundreds of years, to fit the fashions of the times and styles of the owners.  At one time or another, the park has included canals and formal gardens, rampart terraces and monumental stables, Henry VIII’s banqueting hall and a Second World War military camp – not to mention the original manor house! 

 A bird's eye view of Petworth Park, can you image a stable block and formal gardens stretching as far as the lake?

 

There are so many questions that remain to be answered, so many discoveries just waiting to be made. Over the next year we will be examining historic maps and documents, looking beneath the ground with geophysics and excavation and searching for traces and clues in the landscape to uncover the physical evidence of Petworth’s hidden past.